The Bank
225 E. Houston Street
at: Essex Street (Avenue A).
New York 10002
tel: (212) 505-5033
The Bank is one of the
city's more down-to-earth venues, replacing the glittering
surfaces of most club spaces with a grungy atmosphere more
reminiscent of a rock venue than a nightclub. The main room is
big and good for dancing; there's a smaller side room and a
large balcony area overlooking the dance floor which is great
for chilling in. Mostly it's DJs, but occasionally, live bands
appear. Shame the sound system sucks.--
Chaos
23 Watts St.; (212)
925-8966
Chaos is the Footloose of
clubs. A lack of a cabaret license prevents dancing, so it’s
literally illegal to dance. If the indomitable spirit of Kevin
Bacon lives inside you and you must boogie, you will be asked to
leave. The club has probably already seen it’s heyday, but you
still might spot the random celebrity. The interior features
lush Victorian couches that are perfect for people watching and
a couple of drinks.
Cheetah
12 W. 21st
St.; (212) 206-7770
The club looks like Tarzan’s
apartment in the city. The interior has green felt walls with
cheetah-print fabric strewn about the walls and furniture.
Somehow it works. The funky atmosphere brings in the kind of
crowd that is too classy to go to Polly Ester’s, but loves ‘70’s
retro chic. The 20th anniversary of Studio 54 was
held here, so that should give you an idea of what to expect.
China Club
268 W. 47th
St.; (212) 398-3800
This is the place the
Chris Catan and Wil Ferrell characters from SNL ostensibly
frequented. At this point it’s probably living off it’s
fame, but the China Club is still one of the better clubs in the
city. The crowd varies from night to night, but most often you’ll
find a mixture of professionals and outer borough visitors. An
eclectic menu is offered, but go there to dance, not eat.
Decade
1117 First Ave. (at 61st Street)
(212) 835-5979
Decade is a nice club for
the mature and well-heeled set. There’s a large dance floor
that features music from 1959-1979; Tuesday brings disco night
and the middle aged lounge lizard. Decade’s wine cellar stocks
over 4,000 bottles of wine and you can choose from 100 brands of
cigars. The American contemporary cuisine is good. Jackets
required.
Den of Thieves
145 E. Houston St.; (212) 477-5005
Denim and Diamonds
511 Lexington Ave.; (212) 371-1600
Le Bar Bat
311 W. 57th St.; (212) 307-7228
Life/ The Ki Club
158 Bleeker St.; (212) 420-1999
This is probably the
hippest club in New York. Normally this is a fleeting title, but
Life has managed to be at the top of the club food chain for a
couple of years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Built in
the old Village Gate jazz club on Bleeker Street, Life’s
owners dumped $12 million into the club to make sure it had the
look, feel and sound system of the next millennium. The
clientele is the famous, young and fabulous.
Limelight
660 Sixth Ave at
20th Street
212 807-7780
This club has a long and
sordid history. At it’s peak, Limelight was the Mecca of club
kids and those wanting to get a serious groove on. The decadent
club was housed inside a former church and attracted all walks
of life. Unfortunately, rampant drug use and the negative
elements associated with this brought the club to a grinding
halt. It is in the process of making yet another comeback, so
try it while it lasts.
Nell's
246 W. 14th St.; (212) 675-1567
Created by Nell Campbell,
who starred in Rocky Horror, Nell’s is one of our editor’s
favorite all-time clubs. When it’s on, it’s on and right now
baby, it’s on! Nell’s has experienced the ebb and flow of
the club scene, and is now enjoying a flow period. Enjoy live
music on the first floor, and a DJ downstairs. We love Nell’s
because of the neo-Victorian style and big, comfy couches.
Poly Ester’s
1487 First Ave. (bet.
77&78)
(212) 628-4477
186 West 4th (bet. Jones & Barrow)
(212) 924-5707
Roseland
239 W. 52nd
St.; (212) 247-0200
Roxy
515 W. 18th
St.; (212) 645-5156
Sapphire
249 Eldrige St.;
(212) 777-5153
Webster Hall
125 E. 11th
St.; (212) 353-1600
NEW
YORK CITY NIGHTCLUBS
NYC ATTRACTIONS
